Wai 903, A34 The Scenic Reserves of the Whanganui River 1891 – 1986 Robin Hodge 2002 ii Table of Contents i. Figures ______________________________________________________________ iv ii. List of Abbreviations __________________________________________________ ix iii. Introduction _________________________________________________________ x iii.i. Claims __________________________________________________________________x iii.ii. Commission ____________________________________________________________xii 1. Nature Conservation as a Driving Force___________________________________ 1 1.1. International Context _______________________________________________________1 1.2. The New Zealand Context ___________________________________________________3 1.3. The Whanganui River area___________________________________________________3 1.4. Maori Views of Scenery Preservation __________________________________________6 1.5. Scenery Preservation after 1910_______________________________________________7 1.6. Different Reasons for Conservation____________________________________________8 Scenery Preservation Legislation __________________________________________ 12 2.1. Initial Reservation ________________________________________________________12 2.2. Wanganui River Trust Act 1891 _____________________________________________13 2.3. Scenery Preservation Act 1903 ______________________________________________14 2.4. Reserves and Domains Act 1953 _____________________________________________22 3. The Creation of Scenic Reserves under the Wanganui River Trust ___________ 25 3.1. The Creation of the Wanganui River Trust _____________________________________25 3.2. Creation of the Scenic Reserves______________________________________________26 3.3. Leasing the Scenic Reserves for Settlement Purposes _____________________________30 4. Scenic Reserves under the Scenery Preservation Acts ______________________ 33 4.1. WELLINGTON LAND DISTRICT __________________________________________34 4.1.1. Hunua Survey District _________________________________________________34 4.1.2. Owatua Survey District ________________________________________________35 4.1.3. Rarete Survey District _________________________________________________37 4.1.4. Retaruke Survey District _______________________________________________41 4.1.5. Tauakira Survey District _______________________________________________43 4.1.6. Taumatamahoe Survey District __________________________________________47 4.1.7. Waipakura Survey District ______________________________________________48 4.1.8. Whirinaki Survey District ______________________________________________54 4.2. TARANAKI LAND DISTRICT _____________________________________________55 4.2.1. Heao Survey District __________________________________________________55 4.2.2. Kiri Survey District ___________________________________________________58 4.2.3. Mahoe Survey District _________________________________________________58 4.2.4. Ohura Survey District__________________________________________________59 4.2.5. Omara Survey District _________________________________________________60 4.2.6. Piopiotea West Survey District __________________________________________61 4.2.7. Taurakawa Survey District______________________________________________62 5. The Scenic Reserves: Background, Anomalies, and Assessment ______________ 64 5.1. BACKGROUND _________________________________________________________64 5.1.1. Scenery Preservation Commission________________________________________64 5.1.2. Scenery Preservation Commission and the Whanganui River ___________________66 5.1.3. Scenery Preservation Board _____________________________________________67 5.1.4. SPB’s Recommendations for Scenic Reserves on the Whanganui River___________68 5.1.5. Forest Reservation ____________________________________________________72 5.1.6. Scenic Reserves from the 1920s__________________________________________73 5.1.7. Leases of Scenic Reserves ______________________________________________74 5.2. ANOMALIES ___________________________________________________________74 5.3. ASSESSMENT OF THE AMOUNT OF MAORI LAND ACQUIRED _______________80 6. Response and Reaction: the Stanford Commission 1908 and Maori Protest 1910- 1916 __________________________________________________________________ 82 6.1. The Stanford Commission 1908______________________________________________82 iii 6.2. Crown Actions ___________________________________________________________84 6.3. Maori Protest 1910-1911 ___________________________________________________86 6.4. Crown Response _________________________________________________________88 6.5. Maori Protest Resumed, 1913-15_____________________________________________90 7. The Wanganui River Reserves Commission 1916 – 17: establishment, operations, and evidence ___________________________________________________________ 93 7.1. Establishment And Preparations _____________________________________________93 7.2. Evidence Of Witnesses ____________________________________________________95 7.3. Assessment Of Evidence __________________________________________________115 8. Wanganui River Reserves Commission 1916-17: The Report, and the Minority Report of Te Hikaka Takirau ____________________________________________ 119 8.1. Terms of Reference ______________________________________________________119 8.2. Report Sections _________________________________________________________119 8.3. Recommendations _______________________________________________________122 8.3.1. Question 1 (Cancellation of Reserves): ___________________________________122 8.3.2. Question 2 (Acquisition of Proposed Reserves): ____________________________128 8.3.3. Question 3 (Forest Retention) __________________________________________133 8.4. MINORITY REPORT BY TE HIKAKA TAKIRAU ____________________________134 9. The Wanganui River Reserves Commission 1916-17: Follow-up Action by the Crown _______________________________________________________________ 136 9.1. Initial Crown Response ___________________________________________________136 9.2. Wanganui River Trust Response ____________________________________________138 9.3. Crown Action On Issues For Maori __________________________________________138 9.4. Crown Action On Public Domain And Crown Lands ____________________________142 10. Further Maori Protest and Requests, Crown Action, and Compensation_____ 146 10.1. Whakapapa Island [now Reserve No 1]______________________________________146 10.2. 1927 Petitions__________________________________________________________148 10.3. Whakaihuwaka Block Scenic Reserve [now part of Reserve No 78] _______________149 10.4. Tauakira 2P, Blk 111, Waipakura SD [now Reserve No 56]______________________150 10.5. Pt Te Tuhi 4C1A, Blks 11 and 111, Waipakura SD [now part of Reserve No 59] ______150 10.6. Compensation Issues for Maori ____________________________________________151 10.7. Te Tuhi No 4 [ now Reserve No 59] ________________________________________152 10.8. Koiro Block [now Reserve No 92]__________________________________________153 10.9. Taumatamahoe Pt S 14, 2B No 2, Blk 111, Kiri [now Reserve No 82]______________153 10.10. Popotea No 2 and Waimarino Nos 2 and 5 [now Reserve Nos 32, 33 and 34] _______154 10.11. Summary of Compensation Issues _________________________________________155 11. Authority, Policy, Management And Maintenance: 1891 - 1958 ____________ 158 11.1. The Wanganui River Trust Formation and Membership _________________________158 11.2. Scenic Reserves ________________________________________________________159 11.3. Maintenance – Wanganui River Trust and the Scenery Preservation Board __________159 11.4. Appointment of WRT Rangers ____________________________________________160 11.5. Management Issues – Inspection, Fencing, Noxious Weed Control ________________161 11.6. Management – Maori Issues ______________________________________________165 12. Authority, Policy, Management And Maintenance: 1958 – 1986 ____________ 171 12.1. Wanganui River Scenic Board (WRSB) – Establishment ________________________171 12.2. WRSB representation – Maori_____________________________________________173 12.3. Other Representation ____________________________________________________175 12.4. Wanganui River Reserves Board ___________________________________________175 12.5. Policy – WRSB and WRRB_______________________________________________177 12.6. Issues For Maori________________________________________________________180 13. Conclusion ________________________________________________________ 184 14. Bibliography ______________________________________________________ 191 iv i. Figures Figure 1 Wanganui River Scenery – Upper Reaches, v Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908, C-6 Figure 2 Wanganui River Trust Public Domain and vi Endowment Lands, Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908, C-15 Figure 3 Plan of Scenic Reserves Along the vii Wanganui River in the Wellington and Taranaki Land Districts, Department of Conservation, Wanganui Figure 4 Land Tenure, viii G. A. Turner et al, ‘Whanganui River Basin Identification and Preliminary Assessment for National Park Report’, November 1980, in NP 1/4/7/14, Department of Conservation, Head Office, Wellington v DepI for 0:uIs . ~ T~ s.-m image . N HIm; FfIIJ 200J Figure 1 : Wanganui River Scenery· Upper Reaches, Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908, C·6 vi Ta marunui TOfigeriro :A-.. NgauruhOfl :A-.. ~ R uapehU t.lSnQanuialeao River Pipiriki Ranana